Interesting. But I must disagree.

To claim that the creative act is one of selflessness is to cast plagiarism on every human act that has been followed through. By casting our ego away, we become disassociated with that which is borne of our efforts. In believing that our ego is having no effect on our actions, we are admitting that some other force is working through us, whether it be prophet, muse, or deity.

I believe all great creations come from someone's Ego working in full control.

I believe that we have difficulty creating things because we struggle with the dilemma of creating things in our own "image" or in the image of what we want people to see. If we create to please others, we are disappointed because we have betrayed ourselves; the thing is not ours, just an imposter. Even when we do create according to images that are true to the Ego, we may be embarrassed of what we see because the work reflects what we don't like about ourselves.

Yet, the reward of creating for oneself does come when we are true to our ego. Truly, we do send our creations out into an unkind and unforgiving world to be judged, plagiarized, and even destroyed. However, this process is not a "budding off" of a piece of us, living and existing separately; rather, it is an establishment of a symbiotic link. Therefore, through this transition, when another person makes a connection with something you've created -- whether it be a paper you wrote, a painting you made, or a song you sang -- when they truly understand the thing you have put there for the world to see, they have understood you. And that is a handsome reward.

(I also believe this will make alot less sense in the morning. Night.)